Connecticut Moves Closer to Banning Smoking in Cars with Young Kids

Connecticut moves closer to a ban on smoking in cars with young children

Connecticut lawmakers took a step Monday toward banning smoking in cars with young children.

House Bill 6285 would bar motorists from smoking in a motor vehicle if they are transporting children in car seats or booster seats. The measure, which cleared the public health committee, aims to protect children from the risks associated with second-hand smoke.

"What we're doing here is protecting those who don't have a voice,'' said Rep. Henry Genga, D-East Hartford. "These small children and their pulmonary systems cannot handle….smoke."

Genga cited a study by the Harvard School of Public Health that found unsafe levels of smoke even in cars with the window's open.

Some lawmakers questioned whether a parent could be referred to the state Department of Children and Families for risk of injury to a minor, but Rep. Matthew Ritter said that would not happen. Nor would smoking in a car with a child be grounds for police to conduct a search of the vehicle, he said.

Offenders would be given a written warning the first time they are caught; subsequent infractions would generate a fine.

Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, the ranking Republican on the public health panel, praised the bill but said it did not go far enough. "Restricting it to children who are in car seats is a good start but I think second hand smoke should be avoided in children period,'' said Srinivasan, who is a physician. "This is a bill that needs to move forward and include other ages as well.''

The proposal now moves to the House of Representatives; seven states, including Maine, have passed similar laws.